Hola blog world, I’m back! Apologies for the brief disappearance, becoming a grown-up has seemed to have taken a toll on my free time. Nonetheless I’ve found some inspiration to find my way back here, in fact from my new job. Working in the beauty and fashion field of magazines means having to attend a lot of press and launch events for the biggest brands in the biz. It wasn’t until recently with New York Fashion Week on the midst, that I noticed a pattern with a lot of these events I attend. At many of these events I’ve found myself being one of the few women of color there and one of the few more curvier gals there. Although it is 2015 the fashion industry still has a long way to go when it comes to a broader representation.

Recently I took a trip to the doctor’s office (just a routine visit) and of course the doctor made small talk and asked what I was doing with my life. When I told her I was on the magazine industry a smile instantly crossed her face. She told me “I’m glad to see a normal looking girl in this industry, when I was your age I wanted to work for fashion magazines, and as a fuller girl I wasn’t fully accepted into that world.” Instantly I felt a warm feeling of gratification and realized what I’m doing here in this career is much greater than myself. From a young age I struggled with my weight because of the “standard beauty ideals” I was fed through mainstream media. I know I will never be size 2 because quite frankly I’d look like a bobble head , it’s jut not how I was built . However whether it’s a size 12, 10, or 8 one thing I have learned is that I am beautiful just the way I am and I am proud to represent fuller figured woman and woman of color working in this industry. Showing young girls that you don’t have to be tall skinny and blond to make it in this industry as we may have been used to seeing in the media.

Finally the fashion world has caught on that beauty comes in many shapes and sizes. We have begun to see more and more models on the runways of all shapes and sizes like Ashley Graham, Denise Bidot, Jillian Mercado, Liris Crosse and many more. I’ll be sure to keep you all posted of my NYFW adventures ,with pictures to come on social media. Most of all I look forward to seeing more fuller figured and women of diverse background as NYFW kicks off. In the words of the great Maya Angelou above, we are all phenomenally woman.

Hola bloggers, now I know I’ve been a tad bit MIA however a Master’s capstone project will do that to you. Nonetheless with the recent Trump fiasco I had to find my way back here. As many of you may or may not know Donald Trump who is trying to “run for President of the United States” publicly made very racist comments against the Latino population. In a recent speech he stated Mexicans are just bringing “rape, crime and drugs,” into this country. As a response Miss Mexico, Miss Ecuador,television network Univision and more stated they wanted nothing do with Trump’s Miss Universe pageant. Trump then sent a letter stating anyone affiliated with Univision is banned from the Trump’s Miami resort, which I’m sure they will do just fine without. Yesterday major broadcast network NBC also announced they want nothing to do with the foolish Trump, stating they will have no parts with The Apprentice or Miss Universe. Although some may say NBC did this as a political stunt being that they tend to lean more to Democratic views, as a Latina offended by Trump’s comments I commend NBC on taking this action.

After witnessing the wonderful backfire which Trump’s racist remarks caused I just have to sit back and laugh. You see Mr. Trump being that you want to run for president of these very diverse 50 states, I think you should’ve done your research about this nation. In a recent study by the Pew Research Center they announced that the Hispanic population has reached a new high of 55.4 million in 2014. The Latino population in this country is a large number which will continue to grow and has great influence in this country. The Latino vote in this country can make a huge difference and helped elect the president we currently have now. Perhaps Mr.Trump isn’t aware of this. Good luck getting out of this one Trump because no amount of money will be able to dig you out of this hole you dug yourself into. This time you’re fired.

A Syracuse University freshmen and proud Latina is bringing impactful statements right to your wardrobe. 19-year-old Victoria Rodriguez recently launched a sassy and socially conscious clothing line called Che Gringa Apparel. Her premiere product takes crop tops to another level. Che Gringa Apparel’s mission goes beyond making a fashion statement. Rodriguez started the line to help put a stop to labeling human beings in this country and encourage others to recognize everyone as an individual ,instead of negatively categorizing them. Her “Illegal” crop top brings to light the term which many Americans have labeled immigrants as. She hopes pieces such as this will spark important conversations which must be discussed in our society. Although many may not hold legal residency in America, this does not give others the right to label them with dehumanizing terms. The Legal crop top can be found on the Che Gringa Apparel Etsy shop for $15.00. Make sure you look out for more of her pieces that will bring more than just a trend to your wardrobe. For more details on her line and ways to spark this conversation visit Che Gringa on Tumblr.

Singer/TV personality Adrienne Bailon graced The Real stage with a heartfelt cover of Selena’s “I Could Fall In Love.” After recently opening up on The Real about her singing career and “hating the sound of her own voice,” the 20th anniversary of Selena’s death helped Bailon find the courage to hit the stage once again. Bailon had not performed on a stage prior to this performance in over six years. Amongst many Latinas Selena was also a great inspiration to Bailon. “You and your family changed my life.” a choked up Bailon told Selena’s sister, Suzette Quintanilla. Bailon exemplifies how the legacy of Selena lives on and continues to inspire women all over the world. The singer/ TV host has also stated she will be in attendance at the Fiesta de la Flor in honor of the 20th anniversary of Selena’s death. Check out the performance below.

“The goal isn’t to live forever, the goal is to create something that will.” – Selena

Selena Quintanilla has done certainly just that. 20 years later the legacy of the beautiful Mexican-American actress, singer, and fashion designer lives on. Selena continues to touch the lives of Latinas around the world no matter where you come from. Selena’s legacy went beyond her music, bringing the Latino community together. As a young Dominican and Puerto Rican girl, Selena’s music was a huge part of my childhood and lord only knows how many times I’ve watched and continue to watch her movie. You see whether we are Dominican, Cuban, Mexican, Panamanian, etc, Selena gave us all someone to look up to. Overall what makes Selena live in our hearts forever was that she was a beautiful person. Her warm and genuine smile won over any room she walked into, with her iconic red lipstick of course. She also always showed her fans appreciation. The Tejano singer was killed shortly after opening the official Selena fan club by assistant Yolanda Saldivar. A life which was taken too soon but her legacy will live on forever.

To show just what an impact this amazing cantante has made in the world including her contribution of Tejano music worldwide, her life and legacy will be celebrated in the festival Fiesta de la Flor. Fiesta de la Flor will be a two day festival from April 17th – 18th, in Corpus Christi, Texas. The festival will cost $5.00 for adults and $2.00 for children. It will include performances from artist such as Los Lobos, Nina Diaz, AB Quintanilla y Los Kumbia King Allstarz and many more to pay tribute to the Queen of Tejano.

Time to unleash the curls ladies ! This past Tuesday I attended an event (another great internship perk) by Aveda on the launch of their new Be Curly line coming out in June. This of course couldn’t come with better timing, as I am going through a journey of discovering my curl identity. After posting a pic of the end result many of my friends wanted to learn the secrets to this curly-do, so I will be sharing how I got this look, styled by celebrity hairstylist Tippi Shorter. As a new transitioner trying to wear off the years of chemically straightening my hair, I have been left with different curl patterns. So Tippi decided the on the best way to get me an even curl pattern throughout.

Step one: A hairstylist washed my hair with the Be Curly shampoo and the new Be Curly Detangler and Co-Wash, which will be coming out in June.

(Not sure what a flat twist is ? Simply part your hair take a section and divide it into two strands , then twist around each other, kind of like a braid but much simpler.)

Step Three: After securing the different flat twist sections at the ends with pins, I was put under the hair dryer for 30 minutes to evenly dry out my curls.

Step Four: Tippi released my flat twist and individually separated my curls. She then used a diffuser to make sure my hair was completely dry. She then had me live out every girl’s dream of flipping their hair just like in Herbal Essence commercials to continue to dry and flipped my head back up.

Hello world, I am back! Now this is not my usual post as I am new to this whole makeup world. However I must share about this new bronzer I have fallen in love with. Being of really fair skin I am always looking for ways to not look like Casper the friendly ghost most times. But being so fair I have been scared to actually try bronzers. While on the hunt for a great bronzer for my skin the beauty editors at Cosmo For Latinas referred me to the Michael Kors Bronzer Powder in Glow. Normally I don’t wear a lot of makeup, so this bronzer is perfect in providing a natural looking glow. Also an added bonus its comes in a glam packaging with a great mirror. This bronzer can be found at your favorite department stores such as Macy’s or Bloomingdales at a price of $50.00.

With the recent controversy over Giuliana Ranic’s very inappropriate comment over Zendaya’s hair, I felt a need to write on this topic. Our society values appearance very much, so much that something like your hairstyle can lead to stereotypes and prejudice. You see it was not until recently that I have truly learned to love and appreciate my hair as it is. After applying straightening chemicals such as relaxers and keratin treatments since the age of 6, I decided to stop and embrace my natural hair as is. Growing up I always had a complex about my hair; in fact for a long time I hated my hair.

My whole life I would hear comments such as, “Oh you’re pretty with light skin and blue eyes, so how do you have bad hair?” Thinking back I should’ve answered well I’m not sure what you mean by bad hair because that doesn’t exist. Our society has labeled kinky and more coarse hair as being bad, so how could I not feel bad about my “pelo malo.” But as I grew older I learned this is not true. My hair light brown hair may be hard to manage at times, but I love it because it makes me different and I can also manage to pull of different hairstyles with it. Every time I look in the mirror my hair is an indicator of my roots, it reminds me that as a Latina I have African, Indigenous and European roots that have created this beautiful “ethnic” hair I have. As the India Arie song goes, “I am not my hair. I am not this skin.I am the soul that lives within.” Let us all remember hair does not and will never define who someone is as a person. And let us also be clear there is no such thing as good or bad hair, there is just hair and many different kinds of it. Hair comes in all different colors and texture and that’s what makes you beautiful and unique. Whether its curly, kinky, wavy, straight long or short , embrace your hair and rock it however you like.

Damas y caballeros, the Bellas have a new member and she’ll be adding some new Latino flare into the mix. Now as a fan of Pitch Perfect I was already looking forward to the sequel, but this news makes Pitch Perfect 2 even more of a must watch. Cubana actress Chrissie Fit will be playing Florencia (Flo) Fuentes, a foreign exchange student from South America. The Miami native has been singing since the age of five and made the move to L.A after finishing school. This bubbly actress has been making her mark and bringing diversity to shows like General Hospital and Disney’s Teen Beach Movie. Fit will also be returning to the screen in Teen Beach Movie 2. Don’t let her small size fool you, at 5’1 she can certainly belt out some great vocals. This Latina is certainly one to watch. Pitch Perfect 2 will be premiering this summer on May 15th.

These Afro-Latina mujeres are making waves in society on topics of beauty, race, gender, health and much more. Check out some inspiring Afro-Latinas you should be following in my article on cosmopolitan.com. =)